Improvement in canals



2 Sheets--Sheet l. H. HILL.

. v Canals.

Patented April 22, 1873.

2 Shaw-sheen.

No. 138,156. PatentedApril22J873.

UNITED STATES.

PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY HILL, OF CABIN GREEK, WEST VIRGINIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN CANALS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 138,156, dated April 22, 1873; application filed J une 7, 1872.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY HILL, of Cabin Creek, in the county of Kanawha and State of West Virginia, have invented Hydraulic Oanals, of which the following is a specification,

reference being had to the accompanying draw in g.

My invention relates to that class of canals which have two parallel channels with strong currents of water running in opposite directions, and in which the boatsare propelled by the current; and the inventionconsists in a novel construction and arrangement, whereby a full and natural head or current of water supplied to one channel is caused to produce an artificial current in an opposite direction in the other channel; and, also, in a novel arrangement of mechanism for transferring the boats from one level or section to another.

Figure 1 is a plan view of my canal at the junction of the two levels or sections; Fig. 2, a vertical longitudinal section on the line y y of Fig. 1; Fig. 3, a transverse section on the line :10 00 of Fig. 1; and Fig. 4, a detail view of the gearing.

The drawing represents a canal constructed on my improved plan, having a natural and excessive supply of water in one channel, but a smaller and artificial supply in the other.

A represents one channel or passage of the canal, fed from a head of water at the righthand end, so that the current flows through it toward theleft. B represents the other channel, supplied with the water at its left end, so that its current flows toward the right, or in the opposite direction from the current in channel A. In order that the current may take full efl'ect on the boats to carry them forward I make the channels of such width and depth that the loaded boats will almost fill them, so

made its trip in one direction, and it is desired to return again, the boat is simply moved over into the other channel, the current of which, running in the opposite direction, will carry the boat back toward the point from which it first started.

The boats may be transferred from one channel to the other by any suitable means, the simplest and probably the best being an ordinary lock, such as is at present used on canals for changing the boats from one level to the next.

It is obvious that at points where the two channels are on a level with each other it will only be necessary to form a passage from one to the other, in order to admit the transfer of boats.

The channel A, which is the one having a full and natural head of water, I preferably arrange on a higher level than the other, and divide into sections of any suitable length, commencing at the head and making each section on a lower level than the one above it as I proceed toward the mouth. The water flowing in at the head passes through the first section and flows down into the next one, and then through the latter and down into the third one, and. so on continuously until the mouth or end is reached. Each section is inclined downward toward its mouth, so as to cause a swift, strong current and at its mouth or lower end each section is provided with a transverse partition or wear, I, to keep the water at the proper height to float the boats, the water flowing over the top of the wear into the next section. The channel B I also divide into sections, the ends of which I arrange in line with, or opposite to, ends of the sections of channel A. Each section I incline downward toward the one above, so that the lower end of each section adjoins the high end of the next one, as shown in Fig. 2.

In order to produce the required current in the channel B I feed the water into the high end of one section, and allow it to flow down into the opposite end, and there elevate it into the next section and allow it to flow through the same, and then elevate it into the third section, and so on from section to section until the end is reached. This elevation of the water in the channel B I accomplish by utilizing the effect of the overflow water at the ends of the section in channel A.

In front of the wear or overflow I of channel A I mount a horizontal shaft, J, carrying drumsK, on which I mount endless belts I,

to each other, as shown, so that when the shaft J is set in motion by the overflow water, as described, the pinions drive the shaft M with its drums, and cause the buckets of belts O to lift water from the lower section of channel B into the section above. In this way it will be seen that the elevation of the water and the production of the current in the lower channel are accomplished entirely by means of the overflow water of the upper channel.

It will, of course, be understood that the overflow volume of water which operates the elevator must be greater than the volume ele vated; and hence the channel A, which is the one that supplies the operating power, is made deeper than the other channel to supply this excess of water, as represented in Fig. 3. It will also be understood that instead of the belts and buckets, water-wheels and pumps, or any similar means may be used for the purpose. In cases where the overflow is not suf- Iicient for the purposes designated of elevating" the water and transferring the boats from one level to another, as hereinafter explained, steam power may be added.

In order to provide for passing the boats up or down from one section or level to next, I mount in each channel a track or frame, P, extending from the upper section over the wear or overflow and down into the other section. In each frame I mount a series of transverse rollers, Q, having their journals provid: ed with cranks m, which are connected by bars or links 0, so that the Whole series of rollers must turn together. The end rollers of the series I provide with pulleys, and connect them by belts p with pulleys on the horizontal shafts, so that the pulley are kept in motion, those in channel A turning to the left, and those in channel B to the right. The boats descending in channel A ride up on the rollers, and are carried over thereby and down into the next section, while the boats in channel B are in like manner taken by the rollers and carried up into the section above. The overflow of water from one section to another of the main channel is thus utilized for the twofold purpose of elevating water from one section to another of the return channel, and also to transfer the boats from a lower to a higher section of the same.

The devices shown for the transfer of the boats are simply used to illustrate the idea, as it is obvious that other devices may be used for this purpose.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is-- 1. Utilizing the waste water which flows from the higher to the lower sections in one channel, in the manner substantially as described, for raising water from the lower to the upper sections of the opposite channel, or for lowering and elevating the boats from one level or section to another, substantially as described.

.2. The inclined ways P provided with the rollers Q, in combination with the mechanism for transmitting motion to the rollers when operated by the falling water in one of the channels, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

HENRY HILL. Witnesses PHIL. T. DODGE, J. MOKENNEY. 

